Chapter 8: You want a free instructor? Me?

An alchemist is weak in battle.

This isn’t just a misconception held by players; it’s a sort of common knowledge deeply ingrained in the world of the game I used to enjoy.

Without a transmutation circle, alchemy cannot be used, and it requires extensive scientific knowledge to perform.

Moreover, due to the necessity of adhering to the law of equivalent exchange, the results of alchemy often appear lackluster compared to the wonders of magic or spirit arts.

People tend to view alchemy as a somewhat useless discipline.

It’s certainly useful in fields like potion-making, reshaping objects, or environmental protection efforts like recycling waste.

But in most other areas, when asked which is better, most would say they’d rather use magic or conventional science.

But now, things are different.

In the game, alchemy couldn’t surpass the constraints of its setting.

But now that the game has become reality, there are no longer limitations imposed by systems, mere scraps of 0s and 1s in the data.

This allows me to exploit the preconceived notions people in this world have about alchemists to make them drop their guard and deliver unexpected blows.

Just like the three fools here who caused the Arka Laboratory No. 3 raid.

“Ghh…!?!”

“As expected, you survived.”

As I clicked my tongue in mild frustration, the mangled Jumper glared at me with shaking pupils and shouted,

“How… How is this even possible?!”

“I told you, didn’t I? Alchemy.”

Behind him, the Trapper and Doctor were already roasted to a golden crisp.

They weren’t dead, but they were severely burned, hovering near the brink of death.

It would take them quite a while to regain consciousness, and if left unattended, they might even die.

Jumper managed to survive somewhat by quickly opening a warp gate in front of him to partially mitigate the explosion’s impact.

“I adjusted the concentration of oxygen and hydrogen in the air and used the dust floating around as a fuse to trigger a kind of dust explosion.”

The trigger was technically a dust explosion, but the real stars of the show were the combustible gases like hydrogen and oxygen that delivered the full force of the blast.

But unfortunately, Jumper didn’t seem to be in any condition to sit through my chemistry lecture.

“That’s impossible! Performing alchemy without a transmutation circle—there’s no way any human could do such a thing!”

“Sure there is. You’re looking at him. I even gave you a live demonstration. Want to see it again?”

As I grinned menacingly and raised my knee slightly as if to stomp, Jumper, who had been yelling, froze with a grimace.

Jumper’s abilities are poorly suited to countering my alchemy.

If his power allowed him to indiscriminately designate coordinates and teleport, it might have been a different story.

But since he can only traverse space through the warp gates he opens, he’s at a significant disadvantage.

Of course, I was well aware of this, which is why I didn’t bother dodging.

“…Who are you, really?”

“I told you, an alchemist. I even kindly explained myself, but you chose not to believe me.”

“Grr…!”

Jumper bit his lip and glared at me.

His gaze briefly darted behind me, a sign that he was starting to realize he had no chance of winning.

“Why don’t you just surrender? Arka is relatively humane and quite lenient when dealing with criminals.”

“Hah, if it were you, would you surrender in this situation?”

“Fair enough.”

I wondered if I could talk things out, but as expected, Jumper scoffed and opened a warp gate.

Before I could do anything, he disappeared through it to escape.

I even thought about making a stone hand to grab it, but it was a missed opportunity.

“Well, catching it here would do more harm than good.”

Of course, it’s also because I hesitated and didn’t try to grab it. If I caught the Jumper here, things would become much more manageable moving forward.

That guy causes so many incidents and accidents that holding him down would save me a lot of trouble.

But more than that, a Jumper isn’t something to be taken lightly.

While it doesn’t always benefit the player, there are times when it brings an absolute jackpot.

And when that jackpot hits, all the troubles the Jumper caused up until then feel like minor inconveniences, almost endearing.

High risk, high return.

The risks are just minor nuisances for me right now, things I can handle easily.

Since I’ve missed it, I might as well endure the hassle and aim for the jackpot.

“What a handful of a golden goblin,” I muttered, scratching the back of my head as I looked down at the charred Dr. and Trapper.

Their mangled bodies didn’t budge, looking as if they were truly dead.

Not that it mattered much.

What was important to me was their circumstances, not whether they were alive or dead.

It might seem cold and cruel, but knowing how many people they’ve killed and how many more they might kill made it easy to stay detached.

Or maybe traveling around with Albedo in Myeolguk toughened my stomach.

Either way, it was a relief to have ended things here.

“In Myeolguk, I saw grotesque scenes all the time…”

I’d been drenched in monster blood, with entrails and chunks of flesh sticking to me more times than I could count.

Sometimes, I had to climb over the corpses of dead monsters, ending up with yellowish and greenish monster fat caked under my fingernails.

And that’s not all. I’d seen plenty of half-decayed corpses, their forms barely clinging to humanity.

At first, I’d retched and suffered from horrific nightmares, but humans are creatures of adaptation. I got used to it soon enough.

For heinous criminals, being burned alive is almost a merciful death.

At this point, that’s how I feel about it.

“Or could it be that Dual Aspect even treats fear and trauma as a kind of mental status ailment?”

Considering how psychiatry classifies trauma as a mental illness and fear as its byproduct, it seemed like a plausible hypothesis.

In the game, there were fear status ailments, and if mental status ailments referred to deviations from normal mental states, the idea made sense.

Regardless of whether the hypothesis was true, either way worked out in my favor.

Whether I quickly adapted on my own or gained mental resilience due to the effects of Dual Aspect, the end result was the same.

“Oh, you’re here?”

Footsteps echoed closer from deeper within the laboratory.

It sounded like quite a commotion, indicating that Sayulcheon had successfully rescued the cadets and was returning.

As expected, the explosion had knocked out the lights, dimming the hallway. Sayulcheon appeared, followed by about twenty cadets.

“Who are you?”

“Are they from the same academy?”

“Their outfits are different. That’s not a uniform; it’s just casual clothes.”

The academy students seemed quite curious about my identity.

As soon as they saw me, they started speculating about who I might be, so I took a moment to observe them in return.

Among them were some familiar faces, while others were new to me.

There were a few students I was glad to see, thanks to how often they appeared in the story, but in this situation, I couldn’t show my delight.

I knew them, but they didn’t know me yet.

There’s no rush to build camaraderie—I can work on that after I officially enroll in the academy.

“Good. It’s fortunate you’re safe. But who are these two?”

Sayulcheon quieted the chattering students behind her for a moment and then shifted her gaze toward the doctor and the trapper I had taken down.

Judging by their suspicious appearances, she must have already deduced some of their identities, but what truly piqued her curiosity seemed to be their condition.

Her question essentially boiled down to this:
Who are these guys, and why are they lying on the ground charred to a crisp?

“They’re the main culprits who attempted to attack the 3rd Research Facility, targeting the students of Origin Academy.”

“You captured them?”

“I have some skills when it comes to close combat.”

I shrugged and answered as if it were no big deal.

In times like this, it’s better to emphasize my strength and achievements rather than feign humility.

And it wasn’t entirely a lie.

Unless it’s someone like Sayulcheon or Albedo, who possess power beyond comprehension, I’m confident enough to take on most opponents at my current level.

In fact, I could even handle the students behind her in a one-against-many scenario.

A few key figures who played significant roles in the game might pose a challenge, but it’s not as though I don’t have strategies to deal with them.

I’ve said it many times: Albedo and Sayulcheon are anomalies, practically monsters.

Taking on someone of their caliber without Aether Refinement Techniques would be reckless unless I’m thoroughly prepared.

“Those scorch marks clearly show signs of fire, but how exactly did you ignite it here?”

Sayulcheon still seemed full of questions.

Of course, that was a good sign for me. Moments like these are opportunities to showcase my abilities and carve my presence into her mind.

“It’s alchemy. By manipulating the ratio of hydrogen and oxygen in the air, then using airborne dust as a fuse to ignite it…”

With a stomp, I repeated the earlier motion.

A small spark flared at my feet, and in the blink of an eye, a fierce explosion erupted a few steps ahead, carried by scorching heat that seared the air around us.

“Like this. It creates a fairly potent explosion. Though, one of them managed to open a portal and escape.”

“I see. It’s certainly powerful. The one who got away will be tracked by the Security Bureau later, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

Sayulcheon concluded with a brief remark of acknowledgment and encouragement, but I turned my gaze past her to the students.

Unlike Sayulcheon, who had already demonstrated alchemy without an alchemic circle upon entering the research facility, the academy students still didn’t know I could perform alchemy without one.

As expected, the cadets were shocked and quickly broke into a commotion.

“Alchemy? Doesn’t that require a transmutation circle?”

“Is it even possible to attack like that with alchemy?”

“I don’t sense any magic power, so what is it?”

No one could provide a proper answer, and questions only continued to pile up endlessly.

The pleasant murmurs made the corners of my mouth twitch into a smile.

“We’ll hear the full details later. Everyone, follow this instructor.”

The aftermath was handled swiftly.

The cadets returned to their dormitories, still dumbfounded, while the academy was in chaos trying to manage the fallout of the incident and address the controversies that had arisen publicly.

And I, too, was equally busy.

It was when the situation had somewhat calmed down that the headmaster of Origin Academy suddenly called me in.

“Mr. Ryu Seojun, would you consider becoming an instructor at our academy?”

I thought it might be news of my transfer being approved, but instead, I was unexpectedly offered a teaching position at the academy.

“Me?”

“Instructor Sa Yulcheon strongly recommended you. He insisted that we absolutely must appoint you as the alchemy instructor.”

That person doesn’t usually go out of their way to recommend anyone so fervently.

The headmaster continued chatting cheerfully with a delighted expression.

But I could only respond with an awkward smile, barely registering his words.

“Did I leave too strong an impression?”

Leaving a strong impression was good, but perhaps it had been too strong.